


Keep In Touch

by rebel_wren



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Reunions, SWR Epilogue, Too Many Other Characters Mentioned to List Here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 18:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20440175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_wren/pseuds/rebel_wren
Summary: When Ahsoka returns from Malachor, she has two weeks to reunite with past friends and family until she and Sabine leave to find Ezra, and Rex is among the first she meets with.Can be read as a prequel-ish to another fic of mine, "One Week Until Goodbye."





	Keep In Touch

Ahsoka Tano had received a lot of information since she arrived from Malachor.

First, the Empire was gone. She had an inkling of that before anyone informed her of it, she had suspected its fall was the reason the Force had called her to leave Malachor.

Second, Alderaan had been destroyed. Not just the buildings levelled, the beautiful landscapes burned, or the people killed, but the entire planet was just gone. Ahsoka had felt a great, great loss on Malachor years ago, but she never could have imagined it was such a level of destruction. She mourned the loss of the Organas, who had so bravely led and founded the Rebellion in its beginning days, and would never get to see its victory.

Third, the Organas’ daughter was Anakin and Padmé’s by birth. She had only seen the girl in passing, and in retrospect, she certainly had sensed something from her. Bail Organa seemed to keep them apart, and while Ahsoka always figured he was trying to shelter his daughter from the realities of the war, perhaps there was more to those efforts. Ahsoka still had yet to truly meet Leia Organa, though she heard a lot about her- she had a fiery temper, like her father, and a desire to do right by the galaxy, like her mother. 

Fourth, Leia had a twin brother, Luke, who had been raised on Tatooine, both of them secrets to the other for decades. Ahsoka had yet to meet him as well, but she heard that he was hopeful, impulsive, a great pilot, and followed closely by R2-D2. He had taken his father’s path, to be a Jedi. Word was that he killed Darth Vader, which produced a mix of emotions for Ahsoka. She wanted to arrange a meeting with him, to ask him questions herself and answer any of his own, but knew it would be painful.

Fifth, Kanan Jarrus had a son. Ahsoka had seen his passing with Ezra, and had gone to visit Hera Syndulla once she returned. His son, a small, sweet child had been carried on Hera’s hip, who affectionately introduced her to Jacen as “Aunt ‘Soka,” before she quietly explained Ezra’s disappearance (another bit of news) to Ahsoka while Jacen ran to get one of his toy ships to show them.

There were some things Ahsoka already knew. She knew that Obi-Wan had survived the Jedi Purge initially, but many years later had been killed by Anakin. He’d visited her on Malachor after it happened. Even in his ghostly form, Ahsoka could clearly recall his appearance. His hair was white, and he was thinner, and his face had wrinkled much from both age and time on Tatooine. They talked for a long time on this first visit, though Obi-Wan never mentioned Alderaan, or Luke, or Leia. Ahsoka figured he was worried that she would leave Malachor before it was her time to, and she couldn’t blame him for that. She knew that Yoda had passed as well- he had also visited, though they didn’t talk quite as long as she and Obi-Wan did. He also didn’t mention anything about Luke, but she wouldn’t have expected anything different from old Master Yoda.

Shortly after her meeting with Hera, Ahsoka had been contacted by Sabine Wren. She didn’t know Sabine as well as some of the other members of the Ghost Crew- she’d talked to only Hera for a long time as Fulcrum, and then she mostly spent time with Kanan and Ezra after that. Her first impression of Sabine was when the girl was only sixteen, poking and prodding to try and figure out who she was when her identity was being kept hidden, tagging along on missions she wasn’t supposed to. It was somewhat frustrating at the time, but Ahsoka had realized that she was rather similar at her age too. If she could speak to Anakin again- if he had died as Anakin, by some happy chance- she would have to talk to him about it. She was sure he’d find it as amusing as Rex had.

Rex. That was something else Hera had told her. Rex was still alive, much to Ahsoka’s relief. Ahsoka and Sabine were going to leave in about two weeks to search for Ezra Bridger, and seeing him was one of many things Ahsoka wanted to make sure she got to do before she left.

He was living on Yavin IV, according to Hera, where many Rebel veterans had moved back to in an attempt to build themselves a real life after the war was over. He was in an apartment, and it was at the door of that apartment that Ahsoka had knocked.

She should’ve called ahead, she realized. But too late now.

The door opened. Rex looked tired, and he hadn’t changed his hair (or lack of) and beard. He wasn’t wearing armor though, trading it for some normal, more comfortable clothes. His face lit up when he realized who was standing in front of him, but there was clear shock written on it as well.

“A- Ahsoka?”

That’s how Ahsoka knew he was really surprised. She couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Rex. I… well, it’s been a while.”

Rex just continued to look at her in awe, before suddenly pulling her into a tight hug. His beard scratched her, but Ahsoka didn’t care, throwing her arms back around him. It had been far too long since she’d last received any kind of hug.

“I missed you,” he confessed. “I- I really thought you were dead.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

He pulled away from the hug, and examined her face closely. Ahsoka hadn’t been spared the effects of time, especially not being alone so long on Malachor. 

“You got old,” he said with a laugh, and Ahsoka couldn’t help but laugh too.

“I think you’ve still got me beat,” she replied.

Rex simply continued to laugh, leading her inside, and Ahsoka followed him with a smile. They talked for hours, Rex catching her up on the many things she missed over the years and filling in gaps of information that had been left by others. They both reminisced over the Clone Wars, as they often did- while the war itself was certainly traumatizing, painful, and filled with loss, their time together in the age of the Republic had many good memories to look back on. After a particular story about the time Anakin searched all over a 501st encampment for the lightsaber clipped to his belt, there was a moment of silence where Ahsoka took a sip of the caf Rex made her.

“So,” Rex said. “What are your plans, now that you’re back?”

She lowered the mug and swallowed, cupping it with both of her hands.

“Sabine and I are going to find Ezra.”

“Oh,” Rex said softly, nodding his head slowly. “When are you leaving?”

“Two weeks. Roughly.”

Rex swallowed thickly. “How long will you be gone?”

“However long it takes,” she replied, attempting at a reassuring smile. “But I’ll try and keep in touch this time.”

“You better,” he chuckled. “You keep disappearing on me.”

“I won’t this time,” Ahsoka said firmly.

And she meant it.


End file.
